The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-06-23
AN EXECUTIVE ERROR.

AN EXECUTIVE ERROR.
President Cleveland, Convinced OF His
Mistake, Revo<es tho Order for the Re-
turn OF the Captured Flags-Congress
Alone Has the Power to Surrender the
Trophies = A Storm of Indignation
Aroused Among the Old Veterans.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE battle of
the standards is terminated and the capt
ured flags Of the dead Confederacy will re-
main in the custody of the War Depart
ment. President Cleveland sent yester-
day the following letter in regard to the
matter to the Secretary of War:
ST have to-day considered, with moro care
than when the subject was orally presented to
me, the action of your department directing
letters TO be addressed to the Governors Of all
the States, offering to return, If desired, to the
loyal States, the Union flags captured during
the wer of the rebellion by the Confederate
forces and afterward recovered by Gov
ernment troops, and to the Confederate
States the flags captured by the Union
forces, all of which for many years have been
packed in boxes and stored in the cellar and
attic of the War Department. lam Of the opin-
ion that the return of the flags in the manner
thus contemplated is not authorized by exist
ing law, nor justified as an Executive act.
request, therefore, that further steps be
taken in the matter except to examine and in
ventory these flags and adopt proper measures
for their preservation. Any direction US to the
final disposition of them should originate with
Congress. Yours truly,
So far as can be ascertained the Presi-
dent can not be fairly said to be RESPONSE
bic for the action of the War Department
in the matter. 1t was presented by the
Secretary of War and acted upon by the
President as a matter OF routine, and was
not given that careful consideration it
would have received had it been properly
presented. The following statement with
regard to the Presidents action concerning
the proposed return of the battle flags was
made at the White House last night to
representative Of the Associated Press:
when the question was proposed to the
President by the Adjutant General an i'm
portant feature suggested was the return to the
loyal States of the flags which had been capt
ured by the Confederates and retaken
by our army at the time Of the collapse
OF the rebellion. They, with such Confederate
flags as had been captured from the
enemy by our troops, had, it was repre-
sented, for long time lain uncsred for and
neglected, packed away in boxes in the cellar
Of the War Department, and had been removed
to the attic as better place for their
safe keeping. The disposition of the
fiags, which seemed to be answering
no good purpose where they were, was
the main point, and the consideration was
presented to the President that some flags
had been returned to loyal States, upon their
request in individual cases, and the rest, if de-
sired, might as well be returned together. The
return Of the Confederate flags which werc with
the others in the department was suggested
but there was not the slightest thought Of in
terfering in any way with the captured flags
now held by any State.
"The fact apparently received with favor by
the country, that lately, in one or more cases.
Northern troops visiting their late antagonists
at the South had returned to them flags which
had been captured in battle from those
whose hospitalities they were receiving; the
further fact that Northern troops, who
within o short time had been visiting
Southern battle-felds, had spoken in
the warmest terms Of the kind and hospitable
treatment they had received from former Con-
federate soldiers, and the fact too, that SOL
diers from the North and South were just
gathering at Washington to meet in friendly
competition at the National drill seemed to
indicate that il the Union flags were re-
turned to the loyal States which had lost
them in battle it would not be inconsistent
with the fraternal sentiment which seemed to
be prevalent to offer at the same time to the
Governors of the States formerly in rebellion a
return of the flags which we had taken from
their soldiers.
''The right of the department to make these
returns being questioned by the President, such
right was distinctly asserted and precedents al
legged, and thereupon his oral assent was given
to the proposed action. The matter was dis
missed from his mind until comment thereupon
within the last day or two brought 1t again
to his attention, when, upon personally exam
lining the law and consider ng the subject more
carefully, he satisfied himself that no DISPOSE
| tion Of these flags could be made without Con-
gressional action; whereupon he directed a sus-
| pension Of operations by the letter made public
| this evening""
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, June 17--At q meet
| ing of old soldiers held at the State House
yesterday, at which some twenty or thirty
posts of the Grand Army Of the Republic
were represented, revolutions were
unanimously adopted protesting. that the
| return of all Confederate flags in
tho care OF the War Department
to the Southern States from whose
regiments the flags had been captured
| during the war of the rebellion, would be
an insult and an outrage upon. the valor
/ and bravery of the patriots who wr.sted
these emblems of treason from the hand
| of the traitors, and requesting Governor
Oglesby to ask of President Cleveland for
o revelation of the order.
MADISON, Wis, June 16.-Governor Rusk
was greatly reused by the determination
of the Administration to return all Con-
federate flags to the original Southern
companies from which they were
| jutant-General Drum requesting that the
Confederate flags captured by Wisconsin
| troops in the late war be returned to the
State. Governor Rusk also wired pro-
| test to President Cleveland against the re-
turn of the flags.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, June 11.-Every body
| in indianapolis who was in Reviewed yes
| terday regarding the orler for the return
| OF the Confederate flags condemned it in
language little less vigorous than that used
| by Commander Fairchili, of the Grand
Army of the Republic Governor Gray ex-
pressed strong disapproval Of the order.
and he received two communications from
Grand Army posts protesting against the
surrender of tho flags, both very numer-
ously signed and both denouncing the order
| as an outrage.
LANSING, Mich, Juno 17.-Both houses
OF the Legislature passed yesterday con-
current resolution condemuing the Presi-
dent for approving the order for the re-
| turn of the Confederate battle flags, with
| a resolution that the condemnation was
not to apply if the report that tho approval
Of the order was not we'll founded. The
vote upon the resolutions was unanimous.
Dispatches received announce that Gov
ernor Thayer, of Nebraska, and Governor
| Martin, of Kansas, sent yesterday tele-
| grams to the Pres idert denouncing the or
der for the return of the captured flags.
Grand Army posts throughout many States
held meetings at which intense indigna-
ton at the Presidents action was ex-
j dressed.
Heavy Jewelry Robbery.
CHICAGO, June 1.-THE facts in an ex-
tensive jewelry robbery committed nearly
three weeks ago, and involving something
over SIC, 900 worth of family jewels, the
property of M. Bensinger, of the Bruins
wick Balke- Collender Company, o. this